Bill form



My 22, W23. 1 1,415,473

J. A. El. SMHTH BILL FORM Filed May 6, 1920 4 X I I T 11 152 J QUE N BANK ST; .2 I .-V u NW YOK 1w. 3 2' T0 BLANK WATER C0 D1". DETACH COUPON AND RETURN WITH CHECK I 1 J9) IF YOU oesma RECEIPT RETURN THIS semen ALSO /3- DATE PRESENT DATE PREVIOUS CONSUMPTION TOTAL DISCOUNT NET TOTAL NET TOTAL MAYI'IZ READING READING 1 1 12 |23456 12 102134 21322 21.32 2.13 19.19 19.19

. I x j T 2 55 7 6 .5 l0 1 I? INVENTOPu ATTRNEL ypew it or other printing machine,

JESSE 13. MI

WRITER l. til 0 H LBJ CQNNEC'I'ICUT, ASSiIRl-HIOB TO UITD'EEWOGD TYPE- COMPANY, 01 Till?! YORK, N. 1 A. CORPORATION 0 1 DELAVTARE.

BILL F0315 Original application filed July 8, 1813, Sari cation filed i To aZZ Q0 710m it may concern:

Be it known that l, Jnssn A. B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing in Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bill Forms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to work-sheets adapted to he used in typewriting or other type-printing machines, such as a bill-head of a water company. Work-sheets of the type of such billheads generally include onl a few entries, which hitherto have been placed on two, three or four lines; and often such bills are made upon bill-heads having the name and address of the purchaser or debtor already printed upon them by a socalled addressing machine or other printing device. Such billheads in the past have been usually made out with pen and ink, because the placing of a bill-head in a typewriting or other machine and the line-spacing operations absorbed more time than could be profitably devoted to the making out of such bills. since such bills are usually made out by the hundreds or thousands, and the cost of making them out becomes an important item of expense, the bills being usually for small amounts.

According to the present invention, the bill-head may be so constructed and proportioned that all items to be printed by the at the time of making out the bill, may occupy only a single line, and may be near the bot-- tom of the bill, thus making it possible to write the bill without line-spacing operations. Since line-spacing is unnecessary, the devices for holding the bill while it is being typed or printed may be so constructed as to greatly facilitate the insertion of the bill, thus enabling the typing operation to compete successfull in cost with the present pen-and-ink method of making out the bill.

The invention herein disclosed is a division of my co-pending application, Serial No. 309,435, filed July 8, 1919 (now Patent No. 1,378,627, dated May 17, 1921).

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing is shown a bill-head of the kind described, with the entries typed thereon.

The bill-head or billsheet comprises a body-part 1 having, at the right side therei. ay 8, 1920.

al No. 309,435. Patent No. 1,373,627. Divided and this appli- Serial No. 379,229.

of, a lateral extension forming a stub-margin or coupon part 2 detachably connected therewith along a vertical weakened line of detachment, indicated in the drawing as a line of perforations 3. The body-part 1 has an upper heading-portion A. occupying most of the space thereon, and has a lower narrower item-receiving bottom marginal portion B, which is usually demarked by means of vertical lines printed thereon, as shown in the drawing, to produce a single transversely-arranged series of spaces 4 to 11, inclusive, which will hereinafter be described. The heading-portion A may have printed thereon an appropriate legend shown in the drawing as: To Blank ll ater Co. Dr. Detach coupon and return with check. If you desire receipt return this section also. The detachable marginal. coupon part 2 has, as is shown in the drawing, a heading-portion in lateral alignment with the heading-portion A of the body-part 1 and commensurate therewith, and has, at its lower end, a space-providing portion containing a single space 12 in lateral alignment with the series of spaces 4: to 11, inclusive, provided by the lower marginal portion B of the body-part 1.

There is usually printed below the legend dividing line 13, demarlring the headingportion A from the bottom marginal spaceproviding portion B and separating the spaces from the legend. Before the bill head reaches the typist or other machine operator, who is to make the entries upon the bill-head, the bill-head is usually put through a so-called addressing machine,

which prints the name of the debtor, theaddress, and the ledger number of the account, both upon the heading-portion A of the bill-head body 1 and, to the extent desired, upon the extension or coupon stub 2.

At the first aforesaid printing, there is usually also printed a heading for each of the spaces to 12, inclusive,corresponding to the items to be typed therein. Nhen the typist proceeds to type the entries upon the lower marginal portion B of the bill-head 1.

"the bill-head is insertedin a machine, which may be of the kind described in the aforesaid application, Serial No. 309, l85, and typing proceeds, the related items being entered seriatim along a single line, below the headings in the respective spaces.

In space 4, under the heading, Date May ram 7 reading, the typist types the standing of reading or purchase, herein shown as 123 156, indicating the present standing, reckoned from the beginning of the account.

In space 6, under the heading of Date, the typist types 12, the date of that reading, or 01"? the above-noted present standing.

In space 7, under the heading Previous reading, the typist types 10213 1, taken froma previous entry, indicating the standing at that time.

In space 8, the typist types the difference between the two readings under the heading Consumption, this being 21322, and being the quantity chargeable to the customer.

In space 9, under the heading Total, the typistty es the total amount of the bill, 21.32, t is being the gross charge for the chargeable quantity.

In space 10, the typist types the discount to be deducted, which, being at the rate of 10%, is 2.13. In space 11, under the heading Net total the typist types the difference between the total and the discount, viz., 19.15), this being the net charge to the customer.

Finally, in space12, at the lower end of the coupon part- 2 under the heading Net total, the typist copies the net total 19.19. This finishes the typing, and the bill-head is then ready to be removed from the machine, so that a new one can be typed.

It will be noted that so far from forming a handicap to speed, the operation of typing in the manner described actually enhances the speed of making out the bill, there being no line-spacing operation needed, and there being no handicap of speed in handling the bill-head by the presence of any devices needed for Iinespacing.

, Variations may be resorted to Withinthe scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A bill-blank having at its head a printed business heading, and spaces for printing the address ofthe customer and the ledger number of his account, and having at its foot a series of laterally aligned spaces, each suitably headed to receive numbers indicat ing one of the following items: the date of a recent meter reading, the state of the meter at that reading, the date or" a previous meter reading, the state of the meter at the previous reading, the difference between the readings, and the discount, and two spaces for receiving the net total, the second net toto the net amount for which the bill is rendered.

I JESSE A. B. SMITH.

Witnesses:

CATHERINE A. NEWELL,

EDITH B. LIBBEY. 

